Upcoming 7.3 Changes to Frost Death Knight

Sigma has posted a large summary of changes that will be occurring in 7.3 for Frost Death Knights which includes changes to the Talent system and damage buffs to move away from the overpowering Breath of Sindragosa talent.\r\rThe next PTR build should have a round of changes aimed at addressing various concerns with Frost. The major issues we're focused on are:\r\r\r The spec is too dominated by Souffle de Sindragosa (which has knock-on effects on talent choice throughout the tree).\rSouffle de Sindragosa, when you do use it, can be maintained for far too long. In addition to causing the talent\/legendary lock-in around it, it means the demand for continuous time on target is very strict for extended periods of time.\r The spec has many talents\/legendaries that (individually or taken together) flood it with resources. Breath contributes to this by encouraging you to take all of them, but it's also a problem on its own.\r Talent balance generally has to be reviewed, especially after addressing all of the time.\r We're trying to limit the scope of the changes in the patch, to address the above without opening up the core rotation for changes.\r\r\r\r\r All damage abilities increased by 27%\rArme runique affamée (L58) and Avancée glaciale (L100) swapped positions\rSouffle de Sindragosa damage increased by 10%\r\rWe want to preserve the identity of Souffle de Sindragosa, including the steady resource drain being the main limiting factor, and the expression of skill in optimizing around that. So in trying to avoid less natural solutions like capping the duration or redesigning how it works, we're trying to limit the talent\/legendary synergies that cause huge variance in how long Breath can be maintained. And breaking the Souffle de Sindragosa\/Arme runique affamée interaction, on its own, goes a very long way toward making Breath's duration more reasonable again. DPS adjustment for the change is being put mostly into the baseline spec rather than into the power of Breath, because it's currently so far ahead of other setups.\r\r\r\rEfficacité meurtrière (L56->L57), Onde gelée (L57->L90), and Atténuation runique (L90->L56) swapped positions\rArme runique affamée duration 12s (from 15s) and additionally grants 20% haste\rBugfix: Arme runique affamée correctly generates a Rune every 1.5s instead of every 1s\rEfficacité meurtrière chance 50% (from 65%)\rCor de l’hiver cooldown 45s (from 30s)\rVolonté nouvelle de Koltira generates 1 Rune (from 2) and now causes Obliterate to deal 10% extra damage\r\rUsing even a small subset of all of the above effects causes the rotation to be quite flooded. They are all being either weakened in power (with compensation to the baseline spec), or given non-resource-granting effects for part of their value. In addition, the two most egregious offenders (Efficacité meurtrière and Cor de l’hiver) can no longer be taken together.\r\rOverall, there should now be a much broader set of talent combinations that produce a good-feeling rotation in which there are resources to do something on most GCDs, but you're still able to spend them down. Including, for example, during Arme runique affamée, which is overly hectic or frustrating right now when you can't spend all of its resources.\r\rIn addition, the talent rearrangement puts Frozen Pulse on a row with two predominantly AoE talents, which is a better home for it. The Frozen Pulse\/Serres glaciales ("machinegun") synergy is preserved, but can no longer be taken alongside Atténuation runique as well.\r\rNB: The Hungering Rune Weapon bug may be fixed on live shortly as well, after we test the fix and analyze the impact.\r\r\r\rSerres glaciales bonus 15% (from 10%)\r Shattering Strikes bonus 60% (from 40%)\rBrouillard givrant effect 20% (from 30%)\rOblitération duration 10s (from 8s)\rFrozen Pulse damage reduced by 39%\r\rMinor talent rebalancing to match the above rearrangements and talent changes; numbers are likely to be updated as the rest of the changes settle into place.\r\rBreath can retain its role as a talent that encourages building around it to some degree (and its synergies with things like Atténuation runique, Volonté nouvelle de Koltira, and Sceau de nécrofantaisie are preserved). But without the overpowering Arme runique affamée interaction, there is a lot more room for other builds to compete, and we've buffed the spec's baseline damage a great deal to shift the landscape towards all talents being closer together in DPS. As always, we'll continue to examine all of these changes based after people can start to test them on PTR.\rEDIT: Added Frozen Pulse change which was missed when I copied changes into the post earlier. As with the other changes, this is meant to make Frozen Pulse balanced within its new row, and meant to be accounted for in the overall DPS increase above.

Commentaires

Commentaire de e5ordie

on 2017-07-14T19:49:37-05:00

I am looking forward to testing these changes! Personally, I'm not a fan of the Souffle de Sindragosa build and the rotation that comes with it. Currently, it is almost foolish to not limit yourself to the cookie cutter build and I am excited for the opportunity to try some other builds now that they may be made more viable.

Commentaire de thorr69

on 2017-07-14T19:53:00-05:00

You should consider changing the headline have a colon instead of a dash. It looks like -27% when you read it instead of the +27% it really is.

Commentaire de sokercap

on 2017-07-14T20:05:07-05:00

This is hopeful, I really dislike frost because so much damage is how well you can time your breath and keep it going. Some fights I can keep it hitting for a long time and my dps skyrockets, other fights has too much running around or random debuffs where I can hit breath, and then get hit by some ability where I have to run away from the fight and can't keep up my runic power and without breath the rest of my damage sucks. The mechanics of the build are very simple but there is so much rng based on having so much damage being reliant on breath. It is really weird how little damage Obliterate does compared to breath\/howling blast, which are both aoes.

Commentaire de bernardo994

on 2017-07-14T20:16:39-05:00

Bring back 2h weapons to frost. They're dks, just match the the dmg

Commentaire de Agentkillerlee

on 2017-07-14T21:00:29-05:00

Bring back 2h weapons to frost. They're dks, just match the the dmg\r\rA lot of people always preferred the DW of Frost over the 2h.

Commentaire de kaldriss

on 2017-07-14T21:11:26-05:00

these changes seem really great. ive grown somewhat accustomed to breath over time as ive been forced to use it to remain competitive in terms of dps as frost. however, ive never really enjoyed the hectic playstyle it promotes and the downtime between breaths makes you feel so weak. watching your dps drop while waiting for breath to come off cd is just a huge downer for the spec. really hope other builds will be competitive in 7.3!

Commentaire de blissfire

on 2017-07-14T21:49:14-05:00

Oh nice! I more or less kept my DK to solo content because Breath dominated and I don't like that build much. Looking forward to seeing how she plays in 7.3.

Commentaire de 1505947

on 2017-07-14T22:46:11-05:00

This post was from a user who has deleted their account.

Commentaire de warbridge

on 2017-07-14T22:49:18-05:00

Bring back 2h weapons to frost. They're dks, just match the the dmg\r\rA lot of people always preferred the DW of Frost over the 2h.\r\r^^ DW for life.\r\rI'm interested in seeing what this does for other spec options. I resisted taking Breath for a long time, preferring a style which I considered quicker and less locked on target. Then I tried Breath, got used to it, and have not really had a problem with it. The concept of it being a hectic, frantic play style doesn't match with my experience. That said, having other competitive builds and play styles tends to be more interesting and fun than being locked to one thing.\r\rOne thing I do worry about is when I hear a suggestion that using the skills of the class makes it too complex. Sure you don't want to make it too complex, but don't dumb it down either. It's good to have the complexity for players to develop better understanding and skill as time goes on.

Commentaire de frmorrison

on 2017-07-14T22:59:16-05:00

Bring back 2h weapons to frost. They're dks, just match the the dmg\r\rIt is far too late in Legion to change weapons, but perhaps the next Old Gods expansion will allow more weapon types.

Commentaire de greenegg

on 2017-07-15T01:18:45-05:00

ok, can i just say, it took them forever to change destro back to fragments instead of whole shards, but in 7.3 they find the time to do big changes to several specs...

Commentaire de Chalice

on 2017-07-15T03:46:55-05:00

finally, buff for FDK.\r\rimo\rit will be great if FDK and UHDK will have the nearly same dps result, so people can stay on they preferred spec and doesnt need to change specialization each time.\r\rso in the end, the only difference for Frost & UH is the playstyle without affecting the dps result\r\ras well as mage, druid, warrior, hunter, shaman, wl who has more than 1 dps dpsc

Commentaire de Muzgu

on 2017-07-15T04:37:22-05:00

Alot ppl preferred 2h Frost over dw aswell. Just read obliterate description. Frost is suppose to be badass slow juggernaut, that hit less often but much harder. \r\rSame with Frostscythe, double cost to two runes to match obliterate cost, and make it hit harder so we don't have to change whole gear stats setup just because now we have way more runes and haste will be useless.

Commentaire de Myshob

on 2017-07-15T05:47:07-05:00

Breath spec ATM is only hectic if you don't know wtf you're doing. Otherwise, it's the most fun frost spec since Wrath, it requires you to know the fights beforehand, plan a bit ahead and time your abilities well. If you can do that, you have crazy DPS potential, if not, your DPS is $%^&.

I guess this takes too much thinking for the casual community, so Blizz goes ahead and crushes it, so the optimal playstyle will once more be boring, one button spamming machine gun, that does the same DPS no matter the encounter or the player's skill, without any potential moments of awesomeness...

RIP, I hope my UH legendary shoulders drop before 7.3. hits...

Commentaire de ONCHEhap

on 2017-07-15T05:59:30-05:00

Alot ppl preferred 2h Frost over dw aswell. Just read obliterate description. Frost is suppose to be badass slow juggernaut, that hit less often but much harder. \r\rSame with Frostscythe, double cost to two runes to match obliterate cost, and make it hit harder so we don't have to change whole gear stats setup just because now we have way more runes and haste will be useless.\r\r\r\rI always saw frost as the fast hitting spec out of the three personally.I guess no one had the same idea of frost before

Commentaire de Panthrax

on 2017-07-15T05:59:41-05:00

Give us an active artifact ability. Passive swords that sometimes appear but can't be seen because of combat mess is excessively underwhelming.

Commentaire de tazeel

on 2017-07-15T07:39:05-05:00

Breath spec ATM is only hectic if you don't know wtf you're doing. Otherwise, it's the most fun frost spec since Wrath, it requires you to know the fights beforehand, plan a bit ahead and time your abilities well. If you can do that, you have crazy DPS potential, if not, your DPS is $%^&.\r\rI guess this takes too much thinking for the casual community, so Blizz goes ahead and crushes it, so the optimal playstyle will once more be boring, one button spamming machine gun, that does the same DPS no matter the encounter or the player's skill, without any potential moments of awesomeness... \r\rRIP, I hope my UH legendary shoulders drop before 7.3. hits...\r\rI knew someone would make this kind of comment!\r\rThat's it i just knew that somebody would have said that. I don't even have a DK, so i don't care for the changes. I just knew somebody would have said it.

Commentaire de ArktiqStorm

on 2017-07-15T07:50:37-05:00

Maintain the identity of breath? You mean being the most useless talent that no one ever uses aside from some edgy LFR nubs? Why not just let frost DK's have this awesome skill for one more patch? The last time before this that I heard of anyone using breath was severely overgeared BLOOD death knights in WoD.

Commentaire de Lancarus

on 2017-07-15T08:37:35-05:00

I like the current set up, the trade off for having such an op ability is that if you don't get it right you don't do good dps so it encourages people to research what they are doing and to make them get it right. If you want to compete then get it right people I'm sick of blizz changing toons abilities to suit the part time player. I'm just glad i got my lock up to scratch so i have an option after they murder my favourite spec.